Kent County – The Kent County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution this morning to extend the local State of Emergency for an additional 30 days.
This means the declaration, made April 19, remains in effect for all Kent County villages, townships and cities, through May 24, 2013. This extension gives
Kent County official additional time to complete damage assessments. This process is necessary to determine if Governor Rick Snyder will issue a Declaration
of Disaster; a step towards requesting FEMA funding or assistance.
Less than a quarter of the residents evacuated have been allowed to return home. “While the water is receding, it is still at or above flood stage in many locations,”
said Jack Stewart, Emergency Management Coordinator. “We are in touch with jurisdictions and know where flooding issues have occurred. Teams will be surveying
neighborhoods in the coming weeks, and those assessments will be turned over to the state to determine if a disaster will be declared by the Governor.”
The next step after that is asking for FEMA assistance. Many residents have been calling our Emergency Management Division with requests for FEMA funding.
We are following very specific protocol and it is still very early in the process, therefore we are unable to answer any questions about FEMA. We will put information
out as it becomes available, and ask for your patience and understanding through this process. We suggest residents work with their insurance companies until
further notice.
Many families have had questions about what to do next. “We ask residents who are in their homes and have damage to clean and restore as much as possible
at this time,” Stewart said. “Document everything you can. Keep track of any damage or losses.” When cleaning, wear gloves at all times, and remove all highly
absorbent items: carpet and padding, mattresses and upholstered furniture, for example.Bag these items in plastic, or label them as contaminated with sewage.
Wash down all walls, floors and surfaces with clean water and a low suds detergent. Red Cross has cleaning kits available. Call 616.456.8661 for more information.
Updates and information on the flooding can be found at www.accessKent.com/News. If you require additional information (or an on-camera interview) please
contact Lt. Jack Stewart, Kent County Emergency Management Coordinator, at 616.632.6255, Undersheriff Jon Hess at 616.632.6236, or PIO Lisa LaPlante at 616.632.7182.
Direct from Access Kent Flood Emergency Manager Update April 25, 2013
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